Book Reviews & Thoughts

The Summer After You And Me – Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

Synopsis

Sunbathing, surfing, eating funnel cake on the boardwalk—Lucy loves living on the Jersey Shore. For her, it’s not just the perfect summer escape, it is home. And as a local girl, she knows not to get attached to the tourists. They breeze in over Memorial Day weekend, crowding the shore and stealing moonlit kisses, only to pack up their beach umbrellas and empty promises on Labor Day. Lucy wants more from love than a fleeting romance, even if that means keeping her distance from her summertime neighbor and crush, Connor.

Then Superstorm Sandy tears apart her barrier island, briefly bringing together a local girl like herself and a vacationer like Connor. Except nothing is the same in the wake of the storm. And day after day, week after week, Lucy is left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart and broken home. Now with Memorial Day approaching and Connor returning, will it be a summer of fresh starts or second chances?

Review

What a perfect summer read!

With books about “huge mistakes,” you don’t often get a protagonist like Luce. You normally get people who constantly do the wrong thing, not pull away and resist that kind of temptation. Lucy really spoke to me as a character. I understand what it’s like to be so guarded, to not let go and let things happen, and to stick with the “safe” options close to home.

I couldn’t be happier for her as she took chances and made tough decisions. Every now and then, a slightly twee and annoying voice leaked through—for example, I hated the whole “if you don’t tell your best friends everything, it’s betrayal. I get that now,” lesson at the end. Listen, no one is obligated to tell people everything. We all handle issues differently, and you have no right to judge simply because you prefer letting everything out. It puts immense pressure on people to share and overshare, and in real life, people honestly don’t care that much about each other’s personal dramas. But for the most part, the characters were well-rounded and believable.

I’m glad that we got insight into things like reclamming the ocean and a taste of the “real” Jersey shore. This book was sweet and fluffy! Definitely no heavy thoughts here.